On our last morning in the Grand Canyon, we returned to Pipe Creek Vista for sunrise. We were hopeful that a predicted storm front would bring us dramatic storm clouds but that was not to be. The sun rose with no color in the sky and only briefly kissed some of the rocks but shooting at 10000 Kelvin helped enhance the color that was there when the sun briefly touched the highest points in the canyon.
After sunrise the other day at Hopi Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, an interesting cloud formation captured our imagination.
The drama of sunrise at Moran Point was not in the sky but in the reflection of light on the rocks in the canyon creating gorgeous colors and mysterious shadows.
We were at Hopi Point Wednesday morning for sunrise. Grand Canyon National Park has changed some of its policies and has restricted access to some areas of the South Rim in winter. Shuttle buses now transport visitors to certain viewpoints, including Hopi Point, one of the most popular sites for sunrise photography and private vehicles are not allowed. We had to convene at 5AM and drive into the park so that we could meet the shuttle bus by 6AM so that we could get to the site by sunrise. It was worth the sacrifice.
The Grand Canyon with its red rocks, really rocks and my new Nikon D850 rocks, too! Tuesday morning at Pipe Creek Vista in the Grand Canyon, the skies were mostly clear so we concentrated on the gorgeous red rocks that are the Grand Canyon. In order to bring out the reds, the White Balance was 10,000 Kelvin, the Exposure Compensation was -3 stops and the polarizing filter helped reduce reflections of the sky on the rocks. And, this rockin’ new camera’s ISO was 64!
On the way to Yosemite Falls on our first morning in Yosemite, we passed an outcropping of granite and this little tree with its curved trunk caught our eye. It is stunted from growing through the rock crevices and seems to thrive despite its challenging circumstances.
El Capitan, The Captain, is the rugged commander over Yosemite. As the sun rises its light just touches the Captain’s craggy face.
The view from the Tunnel View Overlook in Yosemite is breathtaking with El Capitan, Half Dome, and Glacier Point all gloriously grouped together making for one stunning vista. What is probably overlooked by most people when they see this sight is the foreground of trees spreading out toward the mountains. The details are sometimes almost as breathtaking as the mountains. The snow provided a magical covering on the stark branches of some dead pines that I couldn’t resist photographing.
We’re in the midst of the biggest winter storm of the season and snow closed I-80 at Colfax. On our first day in Yosemite, we had quite a snow storm, too. Our visibility was minimal but the misty view of the trees was gorgeous.
For my photography adventure in Yosemite, I rented Nikon’s newest camera, the D850 which has bells and whistles that even my flagship Nikon D5 doesn’t have. I wanted to see if I liked it well enough to buy it. It isn’t a wildlife camera which is my primary photography interest but, like the D800 which was my first full frame camera, the D850 is heavy on the pixels with super resolution. One file from the D850 is more then double the size of a single file from my D5. Needless to say, I loved using this camera in Yosemite. It is much lighter than my D5 so it makes a good camera for toting around. And it has lots of features that make it intriguing to use. I decided to extend the rental for another couple of weeks so that I could take it with me to the Grand Canyon next week. The D850 has been flying off the shelf and the wait time to buy one is lengthy because they are not in stock anywhere so I thought that was my best option. As it turns out, it helps to be friends with a Nikon Ambassador. On our drive home from Yosemite Monday, I mentioned my problem to Moose (the Nikon Ambassador). He pulled a few strings and by Wednesday afternoon, a brand new Nikon D850 was in my hands. Thank you, Moose. With the addition of the D850, I now own three phenomenal Nikon cameras.
I spent much of Thursday morning reviewing settings and just playing with this wonderful camera. Bobo expressed considerable interest in my new acquisition. She really doesn’t like to have a camera lens pointed at her but she was curious and I managed to beckon her to the box with the lure of a couple of peppers. The combination of this great camera and my new 24-70VR lens allowed me to hand hold to get these shots at ISO 64, the first shot at 1/15 second and the second at 1/20 second. Of course, the only reason I was able to get these is that Bobo stood perfectly still for just that fraction of a second. Most of the shots were a green blur.
